Whats The Secret To Your Shiny Ride?

[HOSTILE]

I like to keep my car relatively clean and I am interested to hear what you (SAUers) reckon is the best way to a shiny, clean ride??

I have used Meguiars, Mothers, and Turtle wax ICE recently and cant really decide which I like best.

Please discuss...

[typevu]

Meguiars works awesome I reckon... also heard good stuff around Auto Glym too.

[GTR-N1]

Then there's

* Menzerna

* AutoGlym

* Zymol

* Prima Car Care

* Optimum Car Care

* Lake Country

^^^ mostly USA stuff

Confused yet?

I wonder if there are "Reviews" on these products?

Secret? No secret - just some commonsense based on experience...

1) Wash with specialised car wash without the wax eg Meguiar's Gold Class or other

2) Clay Bar (if it's been in the open for longer than 6 months) eg Meguiar's or other

3) Polish eg Menzerna or AutoGlym (up to 3 grades)

4) Sealant

5) Canauba Wax

6) Wheels eg Zymol

7) Leather interior eg Zorbel cleaner (from saddlery shops) followed by AutoGlym conditioner

[HOSTILE]

which Meguiars gear do you use Vu?

I have been using the Gold class stuff..

[Matty Sherlock]

Gypsy tears. Hard to come by though

[typevu]

Meguiars gear I've got Tech Wax, Scratch X, Nxt Generation car wash, Ultimate Quik Detailer, interior detailer and tyre shine...

[dark.sky]

I use Turtle Wax ICE car wash

AutoGlym Ultra-Deep Shine polish, and Autoglym extra gloss protectant I think its called (the second stage of the polishing process)

Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax for touchups.

Youve seen how my paint comes up...

[Damo_R34]

Turtle Wax Ice polish is amazing stuff. I have a bit of Meguiars stuff, quik detailer is a winnar for car shows, non-acid wheel cleaner, clay bar kit, window cleaner, hot look tyre shine etc

[Carbon 34]

Turtle Wax Ice polish is amazing stuff. I have a bit of Meguiars stuff, quik detailer is a winnar for car shows, non-acid wheel cleaner, clay bar kit, window cleaner, hot look tyre shine etc

turtle wax, is cheap crap(sorry shane) , in usa its the same as kitten in quality.

sorry but it can do a number on your paint over time.

depends on if its s dark car or white. different products work better .

Really there is hundreds of product brands out there. monky shine has wax that cost 24,000 dollars a bottle(not a typo ) , and kitten is 2 bucks from cheap as chips...

and Megs is actually 3M now, 3M is who makes all the pro stuff for Megs anyway. the old man Berry Meguar sold out

Megs soap, the NXT stuff or the new yellow one works fine.lots of smell good suds, and slick on the paint, NEVER USE A SPONGE !!!!!!

use a microfiber towel.and swap often , dry your car in a cool spot, without a hot engine, adelaide water is torture on paint, creates bad water spots

I use pro products from Megs , gold class works average at best, NXT is better but still won't last, and synthetic so you can't paint around it... the pro stuff (from rare spares ) is used for the buffer MEGS M105 to take out imperfections about $100 32 0z botttle. nothing compares for buffing japans acid rain, etc.

and I use a few other products fromt he pro line of a few companies. but clay bar,a high shine wax. and paint sealer. once its done right it stays shiny for ages , just a rinse and dry

Megs tire gel on all black outside bits.and hoses. lasts for months

Megs dash foam, smells yum and works a treat

Megs air freshner

orange cleaner for the seats and mats , unless they get too messy, then the cleaner you use in extractors for carpet, from woolies.

headlights MEGS M105 or aircraft lexan polish, or 3000 grit wet sand then M105 for perfection on bad lights

tinted windows, nothing with amonia. Megs or eagle one glass cleaner works good. , vineger and news print can scratch your glass over time. , then use glass wax to keep them smooth.you can clay bar windows too. if needed.

clay bars come in different aggesiveness if you didn't know ?? and aways use mist of either spray detailer or no water spray wash for lube while clay bar

wheels , either megs or mother wheel cleaner , purple bottle from Megs.

farcala is decent

my paint sealer is a secret but it is cheap around 20 bucks and works a treat for up to a year on garaged cars .made local too

you can put a cig out on the paint without damage to it.

once your car is done, its a quick process to shine up under 20 min , the first go round takes 6-10 hours if you use a buffer and take off acid rain etching. so stock up on beers first.

oh and some newer skylines use SUPERHARD paint, mostly 2000 S2 R34 and on .... look at your paint codes first. the super hard is a bastard to buff.

supercheap has bulk microfiber cloths cheap,I paid 25 last week for 25 of them.... orange ones , when on sale they come out to a buck a towel, work awesome

expect to spend 100 -200 on gear but it lasts a long time.

the usa Megs forum is a wealth of information for free, a direct line to the people who make the products and worldwide pros

self healing paint is coming on the newest nissans next year I think.

Edited April 19, 2011 by sapphiregraphics

[bezender]

I use an orphaned baby seal

[bezender]

But if stocks are low I settle for meguires to wash and autoglym for a polish. Clay bars are a must if u want ur car to look the goods

[Carbon 34]

actually this is the secret polish

[Dunc]

(lots of tips)

Very interesting read any thoughts or brand recommendations on cut and polish for light scratches?

[Import S13]

Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I just go to the car wash and not very often haha

[typevu]

Damn why didn't we get an ass like that cleaning my car at the bikini car wash

[J - Rad]

Yeah I don't use fancy products on the GT-R. I work next to Willall so as soon as I clean the car it gets filthy from all the trucks in the area

[Carbon 34]

Very interesting read any thoughts or brand recommendations on cut and polish for light scratches?

Megs M105 will take out most bad spots, can be used by hand or machine and is paint shop safe. but not cheap, nearly 100 bucks a bottle for 32 oz but last for a long time , really you could do a lot of cars for the price of one bottle and share the cost around. ??? I would compare it to maybe a 6000 gritt wet sandpaper if one existed. cuts but doesn't harm the paint or clear coats . unless you have had a respray , then becareful, the resprays can be dodgy, like anything test a small spot first.

scratch X 2.0 would be a cheaper choice for minor scratches or swirls, used on my metallic black Monte carlo VR4 with better results then 100 dollar a bottle zymoil, but damn zymoil smells good..haha

DO NOT USE these on a hot car or in sunlight. (on a perfectly dry car only a tiny bit of water can make a mess ), do a small area at a time. use painters tape on anything black/trim, or matte painted. if you use a buffer, or make a mess by hand. if you don't remove it asap, it will be nearly impossible by hand to remove M105 , it will buff off the paint on washer nozzles too, beware.

it's not a deep nasty cut like kitten paste but it will remove acid rain from a osaka shipping yard. or even plastic burn marks from trolleys hitting your car. and finger nail marks from under handles.

if you use a buffer, don't use wool , use two proper foam pads, one to apply, one to remove with micro towel finish

[Tommy Kaira RL]

After going to the EH show last year and trying Andrews Turtle wax Ice. I havent used anything else since. Its a lot easier to apply and it dosent leave white marks on the window trims. Everything is nice and shiny. Love it.

[HOSTILE]

Thanks for the info Troy..you are a wealth of knowledge! I will try some of that pro 105 gear... Looks like I should try that bikini application system also!!LOL

Brad: Yeah I have some of that ICE polish but I dont reckon it shines as well as the meguiars stuff, but if you get it on the window rubbers etc you dont see it!(on the upside!)

Dion: yep I have picked up a bit of that quik wax on your recommendation after the last riverland show but haven't really tried it yet.

[Carbon 34]

if you apply the tyre gel to all your black parts first the white wax wont stick to it. M105 is a ultra buffing compound, but even with just that on the car it will shine , the 105 is what you don't want on the trim, or to dry to much. make sure you have lots of light when you do it. on white cars its hard to see until its a day old. buffer time...lol

a real detailer tapes off the window trim anyhow, cause a buffer will scuff the rubber or worse tear it off. you don't need to go crazy with tape, just make sure its the blue painters tape or you will be cleaning glue for months.

on a side note, if you want to strip the wax off before starting from scratch, wax and grease remover works a treat and is safe on most things. I've used it on a tessarosa to remove interior , carpet parts, (italians glue friggan everything on the car ) it can discoulour cast plastic sheets, if used on the plastic door panels , retreat them asap with protectant, it takes them to a extremely dried out look. and prob, wouldnt be good for them long term. do not use it on fresh paint or rattle can paint, it will strip it off.

hear is a link to answer more questions

Megs, FAQ